Even though you might deny it, it won’t change the fact that you live in a world created by marketers. Advertising is a powerful force that has shaped our attitudes and behavior since the beginning of the 20th century when it got into radio, and the late 1940s when it got into television.

With great power comes great responsibility, but try telling that to someone working in the advertising field in the early 20th century. Even today, advertising doesn’t try very hard to conform to moral standards, but after looking back at some offensive, racist and sexist vintage ads – today’s ads are as good as gold.

Besides being discriminating, vintage ads were also full of lies. Interesting fact – the first American advertisement to use a sexual sell was created by a woman for a soap product.

Whether we like it or not, it is a piece of history worth seeing for everyone. Enjoy these 17 offensive vintage ads and, as always, don’t forget to tell us what you think.